-
Under Her Skin
Under Her Skin by Adriana Anders is $1.88 at Amazon and $2.99 elsewhere! Readers warn that this is a contemporary romance on the darker side, but many say this is a great debut by Anders. I’m actually reading this right now and I love it. It’s definitely dark, so if that’s not your thing, stay away. But the hero is a blacksmith with Beta qualities. I’m in love!
Battered by a life determined to tear him down, this quiet ex-con’s scarred hands may be the gentlest touch she’ll ever know.
…if only life were a fairy tale where Beauty was allowed to keep her Beast
Ivan thought the world was through giving him second chances. Who’d want a rough ex-con with a savior complex and a bad habit of bringing home helpless strays? Everyone in Blackwood, Virginia knew he wasn’t good enough for the fine things in life; they knew he was too damaged to save. He just needed to keep his head down, work himself to the bone, and pretend he was content with the lot he was given.
Until she came into his life. Until she changed everything.
Until he realized he would do anything, fight anyone, tear the world apart if it meant saving her.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
A Gentleman’s Game
RECOMMENDED: A Gentleman’s Game by Theresa Romain is 99c! Redheadedgirl read this historical romance and gave it an A:
Theresa Romain basically created a series just for me, and the first full-length book just confirms it. She reached into my head and found the references and plot that would make me happiest, and gave those thoughts a beautiful cover and said, “Here!”
In Book One of Romance of the Turf, a refreshing new Regency series from rising star Theresa Romain, a mystery demanding to be solved brings unlikely allies together in more ways than one…
How far will a man go
Talented but troubled, the Chandler family seems cursed by bad luck-and so Nathaniel Chandler has learned to trade on his charm. He can broker a deal with anyone from a turf-mad English noble to an Irish horse breeder. But Nathaniel’s skills are tested when his stable of trained Thoroughbreds become suspiciously ill just before the Epsom Derby, and he begins to suspect his father’s new secretary is not as innocent as she seems.To win a woman’s secretive heart?
Nathaniel would be very surprised if he knew why Rosalind Agate was really helping his family in their quest for a Derby victory. But for the sake of both their livelihoods, Rosalind and Nathaniel must set aside their suspicions. As Derby Day draws near, her wit and his charm make for a successful investigative team…and light the fires of growing desire. But Rosalind’s life is built on secrets and Nathaniel’s on charisma, and neither defense will serve them once they lose their hearts…Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Special Agent Francesca
Special Agent Francesca by Mimi Barbour is 99c! This romantic suspense is bursting with catnip! There’s an introverted FBI agent who goes undercover. There’s a fake relationship. Plus, a psychiatrist/criminal profiler hero. Hello! This is a standalone and readers loved the heroine, but some found the pacing a bit uneven.
An introvert, Special Agent Francesca moves to Las Vegas to escape her powerful, domineering mother. On arrival, multiple obstacles challenge her. She needs to approach a father she’s never met, a man who doesn’t even know she exists. Then she must play the role of a loving fiancée with a stranger. One who makes her question every unexpected emotion he provokes. Craving the chance for real undercover work, she grabs the opportunity to be involved in cleaning up gang corruption in a nasty neighborhood. When she poses as the new owner of a hotel, the deadly-dangerous situation ramps up and she’s forced to fight her way from one conflict to the next.
Sean Collins, Psychiatrist and LVPD Profiler, has never known anyone like Francesca Donovan. From first sight, he believes her to be a screwball but her beauty and maddening personality attracts him. Despite her prickly disposition, which gets them into a load of trouble, her rotten driving skills and her constant battles, he’s hooked. Once he’s roped into a mock engagement with her, his desire to make it real takes precedence over everything else in his world.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
American Cake
American Cake by Anne Byrn is $1.99! This book make an appearance in a previous Redheadedgirl’s Historical Kitchen post. Readers loved the blend of recipes and history. However, some reviewers found the historical aspects a bit patronizing. See this Goodreads review for more on that.
Cakes in America aren’t just about sugar, flour, and frosting. They have a deep, rich history that developed as our country grew. Cakes, more so than other desserts, are synonymous with celebration and coming together for happy times. They’re an icon of American culture, reflecting heritage, region, season, occasion, and era. And they always have been, throughout history.
In American Cake, Anne Byrn, creator of the New York Timesbestselling series The Cake Mix Doctor, takes you on a journey through America’s past to present with more than 125 authentic recipes for our best-loved and beautiful cakes and frostings. Tracing cakes chronologically from the dark, moist gingerbread of New England to the elegant pound cake, the hardscrabble Appalachian stack cake, war cakes, deep-South caramel, Hawaiian Chantilly, and the modern California cakes of orange and olive oil, Byrn shares recipes, stories, and a behind-the-scenes look into what cakes we were baking back in time. From the well-known Angel Food, Red Velvet, Pineapple Upside-Down, Gooey Butter, and Brownie to the lesser-known Burnt Leather, Wacky Cake, Lazy Daisy, and Cold Oven Pound Cake, this is a cookbook for the cook, the traveler, or anyone who loves a good story. And all recipes have been adapted to the modern kitchen.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
Don't want to miss an ebook sale? Sign up for our newsletter, and you'll get the week's available deals each Friday.
If you like Shannon Stacey, firefighters, or covers with half-naked men woefully underdressed for their professions, Heat Exchange is $1.99.
Is Under Her Skin first-person? I cannot *cannot* do first-person writing, but the book sounds like bait for me!
Be aware that the Anders’s books are very dark. I read the first two books in the trilogy and they are well-written but with a lot of violence (the first one has a horribly-abusuve ex and should include a trigger warning). They are written in first-person narration iirc and alternate chapters between the hero and the heroine. The plots revolve around tattoo removal, which is a pretty novel thing imho.
@Chelsea and @DiscoDollyDeb:
I read it and loved it. Strong, burly beta heroes are my catnip. It’s in third person!
I nearly broke my finger clicking when I saw Cake and Horses in the headline. My credit card thanks me as I already have, and enjoyed, both books. Theresa Romain’s next horsie book is pre-ordered and I’ve been threatening to make a Gooey Butter cake for my displaced Midwestern friends.
@Chelsea: Under Her Skin is third person!
The bearded guy on the UNDER HER SKIN cover is everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I can’t decide how I feel about the beard, but am leaning toward “bothers the snot out of me.”
@Darlynne: The cover I have does not have the bearded dude, if that makes you feel any better.
I have never wavered on reading a book so much as Under Her Skin. I have almost-clicked it about ten times. It appears to be designed-for-me-catnip–strong, silent hero (who is a blacksmith, ten thousand points to Gryffindor) helps heroine save herself–but also I am a giant baby and can’t go near anything with too much detailed abuse.
I don’t mind being overly sensitive most of the time, but this is one of those moments I wish my default reaction to reading about trauma wasn’t “twitch into a ball, pillbug-style.”
Just reading the preview for Special Agent Francesca on Amazon and already I’m iffy on it. SPOILERS but in a discussion about cheating there is advocacy for people to cover the cheating up indefinitely. Now the way it’s presented SEEMS like it’s supposed to give an insight into the character and their past, but it was a definite WTF?!! slap in the face to read and seems like it’d turn me off to the character/book if it’s not handled pretty quickly and delicately going forward. It also leads into some pretty insulting stereotypes regarding relationships and men/women. Just forewarning.
I loved Under Her Skin, however, I do take issue with the way Ivan is portrayed in that book blurb, especially since it was that description that sucked me in. He’s anything but a loner. He’s really only as alone as he wants to be. His family loves him, and vice versa, and I never got the impression that anyone in the town thinks badly of him. Gobbled book two right up.
@Rose: You’re not alone in that feeling. I’m the same way, and I have the same reaction. I know I’m missing out on some excellent stories what with angsty, dark, emotionally complex romance being so popular right now, but I also know that I like sleeping soundly and feeling like I have some measure of balance. (I also ask Amanda or Elyse, who do read this type of story, what happened so they can give me the edited micro-version.)
Wouldn’t she be Special Agent Donovan? Special Agent Francesca sounds like the title of a Nickelodeon show about a super-smart teenage girl recruited by the agency for wacky reasons, and an excuse for lots of ridiculous undercover costumes. Which I totally might have watched when I was a teen, but seems like an odd job title for a grown woman.
Agree that Under Her Skin is very tempting with the blacksmith beta hero, but I’m not sure about the angst level. Thinking I would be better off by finally reading Bittersweet, since that’s got the bearded loner hero thing going on. And thanks for reminding me to put A Gentleman’s Game closer to the top of the TBR pile!
@ClaireC, I know what you mean about the angst level. I can take some angst, though I don’t actively seek it out, but too much is, well, too much. Bittersweet isn’t particularly angsty, and it got me seriously hooked on Sarina Bowen’s True North series. Just be aware that it’s probably the lightest of the titles in that series.
Colleen Hoover is another story in terms of going dark. I adored Ugly Love, and even months later I continue to ruminate on it. But as much as I’d love to read more of her work, I can’t quite pull the trigger because Ugly Love tore me apart. I suspect I’ll need to be in a certain headspace to handle more of that.
@SB Sarah THANK GOD. I’m glad I’m not the only one. It’s frustrating seeing blurbs for what I know is probably an interesting, sexy romance, and also knowing that it will mess me up for weeks to read it.
I always appreciate how the Bitches–Amanda and Elyse particularly, because they post the most about dark contemporaries–are so good about clear warnings for triggering or disturbing content. They’ve saved me many a sleepless night.
I absolutely loved Under Her Skin! I could not believe it was Anders’ debut. Her writing was gorgeous and the plot was fresh and perfectly paced. I could gush about it for a long time!
@Rose, maybe this will help you decide if you want to read it or not. I tend to stay away from novels about domestic violence, not because I’ve ever been abused but because I encountered enough grit while I was a social worker to want my entertainment to stay on the lighter side. But I gave this one a chance and I’m so glad I did. I thought the domestic violence was handled particularly well- the descriptions are mostly flashbacks and the story focuses more on Uma regaining her confidence. She is a direct participant in reclaiming her life and eventually confronting her ex. (That’s not really a spoiler. Once can assume this will happen at some point when DV is a main component but Anders handles it in a unique way.)
@Rose: Funny enough, the trigger warnings often start privately as messages: “SARAH. DO NOT READ THIS.” Me: “Ok!”
I used to beat myself up a lot about my sensitivities, that I should be tougher or more resilient. But making friends with my brain and respecting its limitations has meant I’ve slept better and had a more relaxing reading history. Knowing what my boundaries are in terms of my reading material also means I want to make sure everyone reading the reviews gets an understanding of the content and subject matter. Basically, I want everyone to feel safe (and sleep well).
@Rose and Sarah: You’re not alone. My children started screening things for me sometime in their late teens.
“Dad, you’ll like this horror movie, but it’s too scary for Mom.”
“There’s a great new TV show, but not for Mom because it’s too violent.”
“This book is really interesting but Mom won’t like it because too many nice people die.”
I just say thanks for the warning and go read my HEA in my happy place.
That cake book looks really, really yummy.
@Leigh Kramer Thank you so much for the detail! It was very thoughtful of you to write that out. I’m leaning more and more toward giving this a shot, but I may work my way up with some stepping-stone novels first.
@SusanE My friends do this for me all the time! They screen the scary stuff and make recommendations on the appropriate setting: watch it in the middle of the day, with all the lights on, eating chocolate, cats perched within reach.
@SB Sarah I get identical messages from my friends. “This book is great!” “Awesome! Should I read it?” “Absolutely not.”
This site really does an excellent job of reviewing all potentially disturbing content with both clarity and respect. Everyone has particular triggers that might be difficult to predict–I have a high tolerance for ghost stories, but none for anything with a zombie. There’s a strict limit to how much sexual violence I can read about without feeling physically ill, and it took me some time to reconcile that fearfulness with wanting to be brave enough to acknowledge assault as a reality for many women. Being able to close a book on terror is a privilege not everyone has. I had to learn that self-care was part of self-respect, and I couldn’t help anyone if I didn’t look after my mind and soul, too.
That was a big reply. In point: thank you for the labels on scary things!
I bought Under Her Skin and looooooved it! And it has 8 chapters of her next book and now I need to read it but my library doesn’t have it and it’s not on sale and my life is truly tragic*.
*Not really, I’m just super melodramatic. I’ve got a corgi puppy and a cute bearded husband so my life’s pretty great.
My “yummy” reaction to American Cake far outweighed the reaction I have to 95% of romance novel covers featuring dude’s shaved chests. I can’t be the only one like this. Publishers, consider the untapped cakesexual market next time you’re designing a romance cover.
I tried Special Agent Francesca and couldn’t get past chapter 3. The writing is very stilted, and the characterization makes no sense — heroine is supposed to be an introvert, but the very first thing she does is confront a random stranger to offer him (bad) relationship advice. Adjectives and adverbs seem to almost randomly land in sentences, which makes the various characters’ actions and feelings seem totally unfathomable.